Behind the scenes of my first photoshoot

Months of design, deliberation and decision looped together to form the first complete knitwear collection I helped design. One by one, week by week, each piece would come alive from their drawings and specifications, and arrive in little courier bags at my desk. We'd measure them, wear them, fall in love with them, sign them off, and then send them back for final production. One day, a big box of final samples arrived, and I knew what needed to happen next.

When I was served the sentence I'd been waiting and wishing for - "Lennie, we'll leave the photoshoot up to you" - I couldn't have been more thrilled, nervous and motivated. Within a day, the small budget had been allocated and shared on a spreadsheet, the photographer was booked in, and before I knew it, I forced the collection into a suitcase and left a trail of fluff behind me.

I can easily list you the basic details: two Dunedin locations at two times of the day, two female models, one photographer, two videographers and twelve pieces. What would take a lot longer to list: all the details in between to get it from an idea to execution (hair, makeup, nails, outfit details, transport, food, timings... you get the gist!).

Ultimately, this solid planning and having the expertise and support of a savvy, experienced photographer made all the difference on the day. Because when you've moodboarded a sunrise shoot and you wake up at 4.30am to a dark, foggy sky and beckoning rainclouds, the vision that you'd had in your head for the past four weeks is compromised. An hour later, when you're in the car en route to location, and you can't see more than thirty metres in front of you, bad thoughts start running through your mind. An hour after that, you've made a snap decision to 'see how it goes', slipped down a sandy, steep cliff with a handful of samples, and are shooting in the rain. An hour in, although everyone is frozen to the bone and covered in wet sand, you realise that these photos are going to be incredible.

That day, I realised how important the team's attitude was to the success of the day. Cold, damp, bedraggled and tired, we could have rushed the job to get back into the car. However, as each minute passed, the morale multiplied, and everyone was going above and beyond in their role. I look back at these behind-the-scenes snippets of the day and have such an immense appreciation for the Acorn Photography team, and our two gorgeous models Alex and Lucy. They pushed to make my vision a reality, and produced works of art that I'll forever be proud of.